Despite putting up a fight in the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers are in a tough spot during the 2025-2026 season. After the loss of Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered an Achilles injury in the playoffs, the Pacers find themselves losing at a high rate.
Recently, Indiana was hit with a fine from the NBA over player participation violations. Considering where they are at in the standings, the Pacers are viewed as tanking prospects in the league.
However, Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard pushes back on the narrative.
“Sometimes ‘tanking’ can be misinterpreted by developing the younger players,” Pritchard wrote on X. “We say the [NBA G League] is a great place and it is…but there is nothing like true NBA game speed.”
Front offices in a position to try their hand at tanking might make roster moves that aren’t immediately optimized for the team’s success. But to Pritchard’s point, just because underdeveloped players are on the court doesn’t mean there is a lack of effort going on.
Most teams in the NBA would take a massive hit after losing two of their top players from the previous run for a year. The Pacers are a great example of that, considering they have just 15 wins at the All-Star break.
Sitting 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 15-40 record, the Pacers are in a position to focus on developing younger players without fearing the consequences in the standings. Like other clubs in the “tanking” picture, the Pacers have likely been paying attention to the lottery standings.
Currently, the Pacers are fourth, with a 12.5 percent chance of picking up the No. 1 pick, and a 48.1 percent chance of landing in the top four. Soon enough, they’ll find themselves adding a top prospect while hoping to get back on a winning track with the eventual return of Haliburton.
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
